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Orange-breasted buntings, chachalacas, golden-cheeked woodpeckers, toucans: the Huatulco region on the southern Mexican coast, in Oaxaca State, is a birder's paradise. A morning of birding can introduce you to 50 species before the heat of the afternoon quiets them and drives you back to your hotel for a well-deserved nap. Taking a birding vacation, or adding a day of birding to your leisurely beach trip to this unspoiled region of bays, will enhance your Mexican adventure.

Finding a Balance

In 1998, the Mexican government decreed Huatulco National Park to preserve the natural and cultural resources of this natural masterpiece of jagged Pacific coastline. But Huatulco also is the latest big project by the Mexican government to create a tourist zone and thousands of jobs for rural Oaxacans, who live in one of Mexico's poorest states. The nine bays and many lagoons provide some of the best diving and snorkeling in Mexico, and the protected areas are home to more than 700 bird species, 9,000 plant species, and thousands of species of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, so the government is working to find the right balance between preservation and economic development.

On Your Own

Birders can see more than 200 species along the rivers and lagoons of the Botazoo Ecological Park, which encompasses 40,000 acres about 10 miles southwest of Tangolunda Bay. Hotels can arrange car rentals, or you can hire a guide to drive you to the park and return you to your hotel a few hours later. The best birding is early morning and late afternoon, when the day is coolest.

With a Group

Amstar Tours offers a two and a half hour birding tour of Botazoo that includes a professional guide specializing in the birds of the region. Your guide will help you spot and correctly identify the resident and migratory inhabitants of the area. Round-trip transportation from several hotels is included, as are binoculars and a bird chart. If you want to go with a small group, field guide Pedro Gasca will design a tour tailored to your preferences. The cost varies depending on the length of the tour and the sites to be visited. Transportation and beverages are included. The trip can be arranged through Huatulco Nature Eco Tours,which also offers an eight-hour excursion to the Ventanilla Lagoons. This trip takes you by boat through a mangrove to view birds, iguanas and crocodiles. Tours include transportation, binoculars and specialized bird guides.

Hotels

The hotels in this area are still emerging but are certainly not spartan. Many are quite luxurious and include Dreams Huatulco Resort and Spa, and the Barcelo Huatelco Beach Resort.

Resources

About the Author

Jean Mann has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. She enjoys writing travel, medical, health and how-to articles for various publishers. Mann is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and English.